inexpensive "truck" rifle: suggestions?

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

Krenn

Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2005
Messages
169
So, I'm trying to find an inexpensive truck rifle. Most lever actions look good, but aren't much longer range than a slug gun.

what sort of autoloaders are there? SKS? M1 Garand? other common rifles?

SKS looks good, but appears to be available only as used rifles, not as new production runs.

whats an inexpensive, new, semi-auto rifle?
 
A new 30-30 carbine will give you a solid 200+ yard range. You can get a mil-surp SKS is as-new condition; I wouldn't be afraid of buying one because it wasn't new production.

You can look at AK's, but it sure seems hard to find a decent AK for under $400 any more. AR's are $600+. Mini's are new production but over $400 new. The Remington 7400 is in production and it's cheap, but it's not my personal favorite.

I still say that a SKS or Marlin 30-30 is your best all-around bet. If you must have new production semi-auto for under $350, the Rem7400 is about the only game in town.
 
I doubt the SKS will offer any greater accurate range than will a good .30-30 lever rifle (using either an aperture rear or a scope; your choice).

I'd look to something along the lines of a Savage bolt-action rifle chambered for a full-powered hunting round (.270, .308, .30-06, et al ... again, your choice, depending on what you want it to accomplish). In my experience, this choice is a good value.
 
SKS looks good, but appears to be available only as used rifles, not as new production runs.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily so with the SKS since you can find some in excellent to unissued condition for the fraction of the price that you would pay for a "new" rifle.

New Kel Tec SU14 - $400+
Remington 7400 $400+
Unissued SKS $200+
Romanian WASR $350+
Ruger Mini 14 $450+
A new M1 Garand? $900 plus

I'd consider a WASR or SAR1(if you can find one) AK. 7.62x39 has plenty of range. The butt ulgly finish won't make you cry if you scratch it. Almost 100 percent reliability, and if you have a problem, it is almost always ammo related, and at $350, it won't break the bank.

Good Shooting
Red
 
What is the fixation on semi-autos?

Whatcha gonna use the thing for, besides dragging it around in the truck? Deer? Coyotes? Groundhogs?

Your SKS and your .30-30 lever gun are almost identical ballistically, with the advantage given to the .30-30... Please, do not get your ballistic data from mass media.

My recommendation would be a used bolt action, chambered in a caliber that will suit the intended use.

Krenn said:
So, I'm trying to find an inexpensive truck rifle. Most lever actions look good, but aren't much longer range than a slug gun.

what sort of autoloaders are there? SKS? M1 Garand? other common rifles?

SKS looks good, but appears to be available only as used rifles, not as new production runs.

whats an inexpensive, new, semi-auto rifle?
Click to expand...
 
The "unissued" SKS's out there right now pretty much are new. Mine looks like it came straight from the factory. If it's new you want, then don't overlook those because they're surplus. Ammo is cheap, they're durable, reliable, and well made.

Or, you may want to go lever action. I think you can't go wrong with a 30-30 lever gun for a truck rifle.
 
It's been mentioned before, but a lever action looks like something belongs in a truck, and will probably elicit less suspicion from anyone who happens to see it.

Unfortunately, a semi-auto (even the cute M-1 carbine) is more likely to prompt thoughts of "Oh my God, he's going to shoot up a school!"

Back in the days when I kept a gun in a pickup truck, it was a Sears/Ted Williams (Winchester) 30-30 lever action that I'd found in a pawnshop for a hundred bucks.
 
Enfield

+1

My current trunk gun is a #4 Mk 1 .303 British Lee-Enfield with an ATI synthetic stock and a butler creek strap. With a full mag and a bandolier of strippers, I feel ready for anything, without breaking the bank.

Rifle $89
ATI stock $40.00 (used)
Strippers $1.00/3
Ammo $ $30.00 (?)

Total $ 163.00

Yeah baby!
 
Hmm

whats an inexpensive, new, semi-auto rifle?

whats an inexpensive, new, camera?

whats an inexpensive, new, car?

The common thread is a lack of facts or information.

Who
What
When
Where
Why
and How.

You go to the book store. You buy a book that has pictures and prices of inexpensive, new, semi-automatic rifles. At this point the question is answered.

If you don't like that approach, reflect on the following. Some people have vision problems and cannot work with iron sights. Other people are left handed. Those are just two of the important considerations. How old is the poster? Does he have skills? You don't have information.
 
hmmm.... looks like leverguns it is then.

mostly, I want it for goblins. and maybe the occasional bear or wolf who doesn't know better than to stay away from the campsite. (but not unless I have too.)
 
Cheap truck guns?

At or under 200 dollars: any SKS, Marlin Model 336 in 30-30 or 35 Remington, Rossi Puma in 44, 45 or 357 magnum.

200-350 dollars: used Remigton 7600 pump in 308, 243 or 30-06, Savage 99 in 300 Savage, 308 or 243, used Remington 7400 semi-auto in 243, 308 or 30-06 (not know for being overly good guns)

Take your pick..these are all decent guns and theres always a Yugoslavian Mauser 8mm bolt gun for around 100-150 dollars - again - not a bad choice and definately a cheap and powerful round.

- Brickboy240

PS: My pick-up gun? Early 1950's Marlin 336 in 35 Remington
 
BB240 - If you can find a Savage 99 in 308 or 243 for $200-$350, I want some of that action. :D
 
In these days we live in where being pulled over by LE may mean getting your rig searched I think a lever action rifle creates one set of impressions on the part of the office and an SKS or AK may do otherwise.

Wish it weren't so but.....
S-
 
Depends on where you live. If you're bouncing around in Northern Nevada or Montana or some other place miles from nowhere, a bolt gun may be preferable for those looooong shots. OTOH, if you're anywhere else you might want to think semiauto. A truck gun, IMO, is there for 'emergencies', which could very well mean multiple attackers, which require firepower. With an SKS, you can have extra loaded mags (or a bunch of stripper clips for those of us in California limited to the 10rd fixed mag) for quick reloads. The SKS is short and handy; you can aim and repeatedly fire with one arm, something you can't do with a bolt or lever action. Bolt and lever actions are more difficult to work while prone, which you might be if you're under return fire.

7.62x39 ammo is some of the cheapest rifle centerfire out there, so you can get lots of practice. An SKS will survive a dusty, dirty, maybe wet or humid environment in a truck better than nearly anything else, and it has a bayonet for CQB after you've run out of ammo. :p
 
Saiga

Based on the AK-47 system.
New ones sell from $250.-$400., depending which cal. and extras you want.
I have a .223, 7.63x39, and 308 and none of them cost more than $300.00.
The only problem is finding them because they are not currently being imported. The new importer is in the process of setting up distributors in the U.S.A., and the first shipment is supposed to be enroute.
 
I got a Winchester 94 with only 10 round fired through it for $150. Do I like the .30-30 round? Not really, but at that price you couldn't pass it up. There is always someone selling a rifle at Christmas time, just be ready to take them of their hands. :D
 
Remington's 7400 is a great rifle and can now be had with a synthetic stock, and in 30-06 will definitely 'reach out there'

In surplus rifles the SKS is alright, but the sights are often crude.

The .30-30 still beats the snot out of the 7.62x39, and is deadly accurate to 250 yards, and has better hunting bullets available. I'd pitch a Marlin 336 against any SKS out there in a 200 yard bullseye match.
 
Cheap Truck Gun?

I just built this one from parts (gathered from all over North America). Though I paid extra to have some custom work done on it (barrel shortened), a working carbine can be put together for not much.
100_0964.jpg
 
Nathanael_Greene said:
It's been mentioned before, but a lever action looks like something belongs in a truck, and will probably elicit less suspicion from anyone who happens to see it.
Click to expand...

That's a valid concern these days.

I'd also put a vote in for an old Mauser or Mosin-Nagant. I love a bolt gun as my truck rifle because it's so easy to secure if you're parking in a dicey area or otherwise concerned. Just pull the bolt! Takes two seconds, and the bolt can be stowed in some other part of the truck or on your person, depending. THe Mosin bolt makes a nice close combat weapon when gripped in the fist with the bolt knob poking through your knuckles.
 
Mosin M38 carbine.

Cheap. Simple. Reliable. Accurate enough. Nice size.

Bolt actions can be secured easily. They can be unloaded (clear chamber) easily without emptying the magazine.

Old Mausers are beautiful, though bigger than the M38 and a shame to bash up. They beg to be left as-is and preserved, or turned into custom hunting guns. The actions are works of art.

Marlin 336W can be had for cheap if you look. Their .357 rifle (1894C) is a GREAT little compact gun. Big 5 has a hardwood version that is around $320. It will shoot everything from a weak CAS .38 Special round to a Buffalo Bore .357 hunting round with the ballistics of a .35 Remington (more energy than .30-30).

A stripped-down SKS (Model 59 Yugo or 59/66 with grenade stuff and bayonet removed) with a modern stock would be good.

Mosin carbines seem to be addictive, though.

Depends what you plan to do with it.
 
mostly, I want it for goblins. and maybe the occasional bear or wolf who doesn't know better than to stay away from the campsite. (but not unless I have too.)
Click to expand...

the lever gun or slug gun you mentioned in your first post will have plenty of range for either. Also, check out the recent thread on pointed bullets for the 30-30, which will add range.

If you really want a semi, I wouldn't mind having an SKS in the trunk. . .they're cheap and they work.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
  • Locked
What semi auto rifle?
Replies
10
Views
785
rde
R
M
  • Locked
Rifle suggestions
Replies
15
Views
682
Ignition Override
I
cluttonfred
  • Locked
New (not surplus), inexpensive, carbine-length, bolt-action centerfire rifles?
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
jpwilly
J
J
  • Locked
Inexpensive decent .22LR plinking rifle?
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
rangerruck
R
T
  • Locked
Recommend to me a rifle...
2
Replies
27
Views
1K
FMJMIKE
F
Back
Top